MLB Power Rankings: Week 19 Update

It’s been a rough stretch of baseball for both teams in the Big Apple.

The Mets and Yankees have been two of the worst teams in the league since the second week of June, both giving ground to their rivals in the division. And in the Mets case, that includes the Marlins.

The Amazins’ are 18-29 since June 13. The Bombers 19-30. Due to the downward spiral, a hard decision was made. Both squads were excluded from the top-10 this year, as teams like the Red Sox, Mariners, and Padres continue to soar.

Meanwhile, the Marlins continue to their unlikely push toward a wild card spot in the National League. They fell to 57-58 after reaching .500 last week, but are 7-3 in their last 10 games and defeated the Braves Friday 5-1. They’re five and half games back, but have a young core in Kyle Stowers and Agustín Ramírez, plus a strong rotation.

1. Brewers

The Crew continues to win, and continues to excite the state of Milwaukee in their pursuit of a pennant.

They’re the only team with 70 wins in the majors, plus had an exciting win over the Mets Friday when Blake Perkins nailed Starling Marte at the plate as the tying run to end the game.

The Brewers are 9-1 in their last 10 games, 21-4 since July 7, and look like the most well-rounded team in the NL. Plus Brandon Woodruff looks elite since returning, including his dominant seven-inning performance against the Mets Friday.

2. Dodgers

The Dodgers stumbled earlier in July when they had a rough stretch entering and leaving the All-Star break, but since then have stabilized.

They’ve gone 9-8 since July 20, holding on to a not-so-comfortable three-game lead over the Padres in the NL West. Yet, they still hold the second-best record (67-49) in the NL and have been getting reinforcements to the rotation with Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, and Shohei Ohtani.

Ohtani especially looked good, striking out eight Cardinals across four scoreless innings August 6. This team is starting to get healthy, making them the unstoppable force they were in 2024.

3. Tigers

Detroit fired off four consecutive wins to end July, but have been human in the early goings of August. They split a series with the Phillies at the Bank, and then lost a series to the depleted Twins at home.

Friday saw a nice 6-5 bounce-back win against the Angels, which held the Guardians at six games behind in the American League Central. The bullpen has been an issue in August, with the collective group pitching to a 4.76 ERA with five homers allowed in 22 2/3 innings pitched.

Still, like the Dodgers, struggles as of late haven’t been detrimental to the overall product. They’re 67-50, hold a six-game lead over Cleveland, and are 6-4 in their last 10 games. And as of August 9, the Tigers are the only club in the AL Central with a positive run differential (+76).

4. Cubs

Chicago has middled like the other teams above in the power rankings over the last couple weeks. They’re 4-6 in their last 10, and have barely kept pace with the Brewers during their ridiculously hot stretch.

The Cubbies are five games behind the Brewers in the NL Central, but still hold a bulky +110 run differential. They also hold the top wild card in the NL at 66-49, two and half games above the Padres and three and half games ahead of the Mets.

5. Phillies

Philadelphia has maintained a steady pace in the race for the NL East. They’re 10-7 since July 20, and 5-3 since July 30. Yet, that’s all they’ve needed to do to get ground on the Mets.

The Phillies’ lead in the division is up to three and half games over the Mets, and a lot of it is due to strong starting pitching, the addition of Jhoan Duran, and Kyle Schwarber.

Schwarber in particular could win an MVP this season. No, seriously. He’s slashing .255/.379/.588 with a major league-leading 41 homers and 95 RBIs, anchoring a star-studded lineup that includes Bryce Harper and Trea Turner.

6. Astros

Who would have thought the Astros would get vintage Carlos Correa back from the Twins?

Now playing a less demanding position in third base, Correa is slashing .379/.455/.552 with a homer in seven games. His line drive rate also jumped from 24.8% in Minnesota to 40%, leading to more scolded hits. It’s helped the Astros, who presumably lose Isaac Paredes for the rest of the season.

The addition has also helped stave off a hot Mariners team that leveled up at the trade deadline. The ‘Stros hold a thin one and half game lead over the Mariners, and have a tough stretch against the Yankees and Red Sox this week.

7. Padres

San Diego added a whole lot at the deadline, and so far it’s paid dividends.

Ryan O’Hearn clubbed a game-tying homer off a lefty last Wednesday to lead to a 3-2 win over the D-backs, and Ramón Laureano has put up a .300 average and .889 OPS in seven games with the Friars.

The Padres are keeping pace with the Dodgers, holding a 64-52 record with the best bullpen ERA in baseball and a dangerous lineup. They lost Friday 10-2 to the Red Sox, but all eyes are on the upcoming two weeks, where the Padres play only the Giants and Dodgers the next 13 games.

8. Red Sox

Unlike the Padres, the Red Sox did little to nothing at the deadline. Some would say they got worse by shipping off James Tibbs III (Rafael Devers‘ trade) for a rental Dustin May.

Yet, they’re the hottest team in baseball, going 12-5 since July 20, and pulling to within three games of the middling Blue Jays. Garrett Crochet looks like the AL Cy Young, Roman Anthony looks like a veteran and just signed an eight-year extension, and Aroldis Chapman is vintage, shutting down the ninth. This team is real. And with Alex Cora at the helm, it wouldn’t surprise me if this team won the division.

9. Blue Jays 

On the flip side of the Red Sox, the Blue Jays are starting to stall at the top of the AL East. They’re 5-5 in their last 10 games, with three of the wins coming from a sweep of the Rockies.

They lost 5-1 to the Dodgers, and enter a two-week stretch that could see them slip from the top of the division. Two more against the Dodgers, three against the Cubs, then three against a resurgent Rangers.

The club has the veteran presence and lineup to make the playoffs, as well as young pieces in Addison Barger, who’s clubbed 17 homers with a .825 OPS in 93 games.

10. Mariners

The Mariners locked and loaded at the deadline, and they’ve surely reaped the rewards provided by the new guys.

Josh Naylor has clubbed three homers and put up a .798 OPS at first, which seems pedestrian, but has been a massive upgrade over a revolving door of guys at the position this season.

It’s led to a five-game win streak, pulling Seattle to within one and a half games of the Astros. I feel like I believe every year, but 2025 feels different. Cal Raleigh has evolved into one of the best hitters in the sport, and Julio Rodríguez has resurged by hitting seven homers in 21 games in the second half (14 in 94 games in the first half).

Rest of the Field

11. Guardians
12. Yankees
13. Giants
14. Mets
15. Rangers
16. Reds
17. Marlins
18. Rays
19. Royals
20. Cardinals
21. Diamondbacks
22. Twins
23. Angels
24. Orioles
25. Pirates
26. Braves
27. Nationals
28. Athletics
29. White Sox
30. Rockies

 

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